News

In this second installment of our three part series, the Climate Spheres team focuses on recent research exploring the impacts of extreme weather on farmer mental health and the data is sobering. Research indicates that 92% of farmers reported anxiety during extreme weather events. 60% experienced depression, driven by fears of losing crops or livestock (78%), the costs of recovery (68%), uncertainty about crop selection (52%), and the risk of financial ruin (43%). Despite these challenges, only 24% sought support from peer support groups, professional advice, or environmental groups to help them manage the impacts of the extreme weather events. As climate change intensifies, addressing the mental health aspect is critical to supporting the farming community and ensuring the security of UK food production. 

Climate Spheres takes a deep dive into the study findings of the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit and will share perspectives and insights over 3 blogs. This first blog in our series focuses on the farmers’ experience and expectations of climate change. The study seeks to give a holistic understanding of UK farmers perspectives on climate change-driven extreme weather and was recently published as The Impact of Climate Change on British Farms and Farmers’ Mental Health.

Climate Spheres, in partnership with Aqualate Farm and Harper Adams University, is proud to have been awarded a Defra grant delivered by Innovate UK to collaborate on a groundbreaking project to explore on-farm biochar production and application, as part of the Farming Innovation Programme Research Starter 3 Competition.